


We hardly see each other anymore

by I_love_my_cats



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Hair Braiding, I LOVE THEM :(, I love them so much, Slice of Life, Them..., hand holding, the, they kiss, they r so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_love_my_cats/pseuds/I_love_my_cats
Summary: "Do you want to get together on Friday?"Mayoi looked at Tatsumi as if he had just grown two heads! Why was he asking Mayoi of all people if he wanted to 'get together'? Was this some kind of Joke? This was completely out of the blue! One moment they were taking a break trying to rest, and the next Mayoi feels his heart racing even faster and sweating even more than when they were practicing.A series of Tatsumayo going on 'not-dates'
Relationships: Ayase Mayoi & Kazehaya Tatsumi, Ayase Mayoi/Kazehaya Tatsumi
Comments: 22
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello!!! I'm starting another fic! This one is quite ambitious for me as it will have multiple chapters and build up! Please excuse my poor writing! It gets slightly better in later chapters hehe 
> 
> ALSO don't be surprised if I come back and add a whole new paragraph of text to old chapters or something

"Do you want to get together on Friday?"  
Mayoi looked at Tatsumi as if he had just grown two heads! Why was he asking _Mayoi_ of all people if he wanted to 'get together'? Was this some kind of Joke? This was completely out of the blue! One moment they were taking a break trying to rest, and the next Mayoi feels his heart racing even faster and sweating even more than when they were practicing...

“Uhh umm…” Mayoi stuttered;  
If Tatsumi was being genuine then he wanted to say ‘No.’ to spare him from having to hang around such an unworthy and deprived creature such as himself but the idea of spending time alone with Tatsumi was undeniably tempting; Needless to say, such a seemingly simple question seemed to suffocate Mayoi, despite the fact that Tatsumi genuinely wanted to be with and reach out to him.

"Mayoi-san?"  
"Hii-!"   
Tatsumi's gentle voice broke Mayoi out of his self-deprecating trance.

Afraid of what the consequences would be of saying either yes or no, Mayoi responded; "Ah I'm, I'm sorry… I'm not sure…"   
He averted his gaze from Tatsumi to look at the ground. His chest heaved with the large breaths of air he was taking much like an exhausted and parched marathon runner. Suddenly running his fingers through his loosely braided hair seemed to be much more interesting to him than having to face his unit-mate.

This response was rather anxiety inducing for Tatsumi; Hiding this with his unwavering soothing smile he replied:  
"That's ok Mayoi-san. You don't have to give me an answer right away."   
It was only Wednesday after all, he thought, and the last thing he wanted was to make Mayoi feel pressured. 

"Oiiii-!"  
The two of them were so focused on their conversation that they completely forgot they were in the middle of practice.

"Tatsun-senpai, Mayo-san, are you done yet?" Aira pouted. He was slightly frustrated with his seniors being so distracted from what they came here to do.

"Ah I'm so sorryyyyyy!" Mayoi was relieved Aira called out to them when he did. Mayoi felt like he was on the verge of hyperventilating.

The two of them made their way to Aira and Hiiro in the middle of the room. All throughout the rest of practice though, Mayois head was clouded with thoughts and anxieties about what he should do. His performance suffered because of this and Tatsumi noticed. He felt guilty about upsetting Mayoi, although he didn't regret what he said. He would gladly wait forever if it meant Mayoi would spend time with him.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
The air was moist and clouded with thick grey sheets of fog. Mayoi loved this kind of weather. He could wear cozy sweaters and less people were outside, although the subway was still crowded. Tomorrow was Friday and he still hadn't given Tatsumi an answer. In fact-he hasn't even seen Tatsumi since their last practice with ALKALOID. Having Tatsumi have to wait so long for his answer made him feel guilty. A part of him hoped Tatsumi just dropped it or forgot about it. He hoped that asking Mayoi to hang out was just some kind of cruel joke and they’d laugh about it later. _Agghhh!!! No no no!!_ Tatsumi cared about Mayoi right? He's not the kind of person to do that or just drop it...right?

"Mayoi-senpai, are you feeling sick?"   
"Ah ummm…" Mayoi had gotten lost in his thoughts again, and totally forgot Hiiro was with him.   
"Yeah, you've been out of it more than usual today."  
 _He forgot Aira was there too!!!_

On the rare occasions Mayoi actually _would_ attend school, the three of them made a habit of commuting back to the ES dorms together when they didn't have club activities. Mayoi was super grateful he had Hiiro and Aira. They were some of the only people at Yumenosaki he could talk to and actually invite him into conversation.

"I-its nothing really!" Mayoi looked down at the ground, avoiding his unit-mates confrontation. He felt too embarrassed to have to explain himself.  
"Oh I see. Perhaps you're just feeling tired?"   
"Hiiro-kun!" Aira lightly jabbed Hiiro in the stomach, upset he seemingly couldn’t read the room. "Mayo-san no offense but I don't think it's nothing. I think you're lying. Mayo-san is quite the negative person, but it's never like, _this_ much."

All eyes were literally on Mayoi as Hiira and Aira looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to justify his troubled mood.

"It's just..Tatsumi- yesterday Tatsumi-san asked me if I wanted to 'get together' with him on Friday, umm like, just us. So I told him I wasn't sure and I haven't given him an answer yet."

Aira let out a sigh. He was relieved his friend wasn't feeling sick or anything serious but, he was also a little frustrated because it seemed like such a trivial matter to get this upset about. But he felt sympathy for him nonetheless. It couldn’t be easy having a seemingly trivial matter make someone this anxious.

"Well _do_ you want to hang out with him?"  
Mayoi obviously had pondered this all day-enough where his friends were worried about him- but once he was faced with the question directly, all those hours spent going over every outcome to every answer seemed to be meaningless as he wasn’t sure anymore.  
"That's the thing! I'm not sure at all…"  
"Why, is it like a date?" Aira asked straight out

Mayois face immediately flushed red and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.  
"Ohh a date! That sounds exciting Mayoi-senpai!" Hiiro chimed in.  
"N-no no no! It's not a date at all! Tatsumi-san and I are friends. We're just friends!" Mayoi felt his stomach churning. He had never even considered if it was a date request! This new possibility only made room for more anxiety and nervousness. 

" _Sure._ " Aira responded-somewhat condescendingly.

Mayoi made a small whine. _Aira wasn't helping him at all!_

“Maybe Aira-san and I could join you and Tatsumi-senpai tomorrow, if you think that would help?” Hiiro was genuinely trying to help, but didn’t understand this was just meant to be Mayoi and Tatsumi. Aira jabbed him in the gut again.

"OK but for real. If you're having to think so hard about it, maybe you should just say no. We'll always see Tatsun-senpai at practice, and if you do change your mind you can ask him another time in the future." 

Mayoi contemplated Airas words for a moment. Hearing that he could always ask some other time relieved some of the pressure he was feeling. But then again, Mayoi felt like he'd be missing out on something, or that he’d upset Tatsumi.

"B-but…"  
Aira waited for his response but the words just wouldn't come. It's not like he _didnt_ want to spend time alone with Tatsumi. Actually he'd think about being alone with him more than he'd like to admit. He'd often think of ideas or scenarios the two might enjoy together. But having that thought actually realized scared Mayoi. 

"Or just say you’ll go. What have you got to lose?" 

Mayoi sighed. He guessed he really _didn’t_ have anything to lose… _accept for making an absolute fool out of himself and making Tatsumi hate him forever!_

“Ugghhh here. Give me your phone.”  
Losing his previously present patience waiting for Mayoi to respond, without hesitation Aira shoved his hand into Mayois coat pocket to retrieve his phone.

“Ah wait! W-what are you doing??”  
Mayoi didn’t want Aira to see what on God's earth he had on his phone! But he also didn’t try to take his phone back from him. Aira’s fingers really were fast as he typed out something and handed his phone back to his senior.

“Here.”  
Aira had typed out a message to Tatsumi but didn’t send it yet.

“B-but…” Mayoi stammered.  
“Hit send or I’ll hit it for you!”   
“Hii-!” Mayoi Made a pitiful moan. This was truly the point of no return. He felt a bead of sweat make its way down his neck as he shakily hit the send button. 

“See! That wasn’t so hard Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro said, trying his best to be supportive.

Mayoi honestly felt somewhat relieved after Aira (sort of) made the decision for him. Like the burden of being responsible for any possible outcome was lifted. All he had to do was wait for Friday and not mess anything up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday came and much like the previous day; the sky was cloudy and dark. The only difference now being it was drizzling slightly. All day Mayoi found himself counting down the hours until school let out. Sometimes-in a particularly boring lecture- fifteen minutes felt like an hour. Mayoi had to admit he was actually excited to see Tatsumi but, that excitement still couldn't keep his anxieties away. All day he felt a pit in his stomach, and it only got worse as the time him and Tatsumi were expecting to meet approached. If yesterday he was just feeling anxious, today he truly felt like he was going to be sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 let's goooo😎😎😎 my writing has already improved😼 I started writing backwards so this chapter took longer dkdmdnsklsk

Friday came and much like the previous day; the sky was cloudy and dark. The only difference now being it was drizzling slightly. All day Mayoi found himself counting down the hours until school let out. Sometimes-in a particularly boring lecture- fifteen minutes felt like an hour. Mayoi had to admit he was actually excited to see Tatsumi but, that excitement still couldn't keep his anxieties away. All day he felt a pit in his stomach, and it only got worse as the time him and Tatsumi were expecting to meet approached. If yesterday he was just feeling anxious, today he truly felt like he was going to be sick. 

Once school let out, Mayoi swiftly made his way to the park he and Tatsumi planned to meet at. Aira and Hiiro were busy with club activities, so he only had himself for any sort of emotional support.

It was still drizzling by the time Mayoi made it to the park, so he took to a gazebo for shelter. His mind was racing. He didn't see Tatsumi anywhere. He checked the time- 4:17; _He was supposed to be here by 4:10! But Where was Tatsumi? Was mayoi too late? Did Tatsumi forget about him? Did he finally decide Mayoi wasn’t worth his time?_

His thoughts halted abruptly as he felt a buzz from his phone.

Tatsumi: ‘On my way. Be there soon ^^’ 

Mayoi let out a sigh of relief, Tatsumi's reassurance alleviating some of his anxieties. 

As Mayoi waited; he watched students holding jackets over their heads rushing to bus stops and young kids splashing in shallow puddles. The hypnotic pitter of raindrops splashing on thousands of little plant leaves drowned out the sounds of cars speeding down the road and construction workers banging away at concrete.   
For just a bit Mayoi was transported to his own little world. One where his worries couldn’t reach him, and he could meditate in the cool foggy air.   
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
“Mayoi-san!”  
“Hiii-!”  
Tatsumi calling out pulled Mayoi from his meditation and back into the real world. He spun around to face Tatsumi at the entrance of the gazebo. 

“Fufu I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”  
Tatsumi was still in his uniform and his hair was slightly wet despite him having an umbrella. Mayoi didn't know how far Reimei was from here, but he would feel awful if Tatsumi had to come a long way just for him.

“No I’m sorry. I should have been paying attention…”

Seeing Mayoi, Tatsumi suddenly felt a wave of anxiety and awkwardness overcome him that wasn’t present before. Tatsumi never felt this way when meeting up with other friends or classmates, so why was it happening _now?_ Tatsumi was anxious but he was also so very excited to spend this time with his friend. Until they moved out of the ALKALOID dorm, they'd see and interact with each other on a daily basis. But now that the summer was over and classes started, Tatsumi felt lonely being away from his precious unit-mates. Even just eating alone made him melancholic. He was so very happy when Mayoi said he'd go though. It feels like they had never even gotten the chance to casually hang out with just the two of them. Every time they would be alone together it'd be overshadowed by crazy:b or their next live. 

“I didn’t expect it to be raining, otherwise I would have planned for us to meet somewhere else.”   
Tatsumi held his hand out to catch some of the rain drops that had seeped through the gazebos roof.

“No no It’s ok."  
Mayoi held up his hands "I actually enjoy this type of weather." 

"I see. Fufu It's very mayoi-ish type weather." 

Mayois cheeks went red and he became flustered. _What was that supposed to mean and why did hearing Tatsumi say that make him feel so embarrassed??_

"Ahaha It's okay Mayoi-san. I really like this weather too. It's quite calming, and there aren't as many people outside."

Hearing Tatsumi say that caught him off-guard.  
"Ah that's why I like it!” Finding out Tatsumi felt the same way he did filled him with a little more confidence. “Fufu. And rain is so good for the plants after they've been dead all winter. When it rains, it's like the earth rejuvenating itself and it makes me happy!" 

Mayoi seemed to light up again, and it made Tatsumi's previous anxiety melt away. Even if they were just talking about the most stereotypical boring conversation topic, hearing about Mayois favorite kind of weather genuinely warmed his heart. The rare moments Mayoi would talk so passionately about his interests, Tatsumi would cherish forever. Seeing his unit-mate happy made Tatsumi feel at ease and made him remember why he asked Mayoi to hang out in the first place. He wanted to get closer with his friend and learn more about what he was passionate about and what makes him happy. He wanted Mayoi to be more comfortable and willing to share this side with him.  
Tatsumi's smile must have been a little too wide though, as Mayoi gave him a quizzical look and his previously lit up face seemed to drain away.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry that's weird right? I'm sorry for being so awkward and annoying, I know I’m so frustrating to be around-" 

Tatsumi managed to stop Mayois self-deprecating monologue before it completely killed the mood.

"I don't think you're frustrating at all. Mayoi-san is actually very pleasant to be around." Wanting to cement it in Mayois' head that Tatsumi truly wanted to be around him, he felt the need to continue; "It made me super happy when you agreed to get together with me. With school starting it feels like we hardly see each other anymore." 

Hearing that, Mayoi felt a little disingenuous-considering Aira was the one who wrote the text and not him-but it’s not like those weren’t his feelings. He wanted to be around Tatsumi too, even if it was and still is difficult for him to act on it. But he still doesn’t understand _why_ Tatsumi would want to hang around him in the first place or why he found him ‘pleasant’. Ahhh Mayoi felt like he didn’t deserve this at all. He didn’t deserve someone as kind and wonderful as Tatsumi. If anything he would just taint him until he became a truly unholy creature like Mayoi.

For a moment they stayed silent. The sound of rain filling in the dead noise. A cold breeze flew past them and Mayoi zipped up his jacket.

“Do you want to go to the library?” Tatsumi turned to face Mayoi with a smile. It was getting cold outside and Tatsumi thought Mayoi would be more comfortable somewhere quiet and out of the rain.

“Sure.” Mayoi didn’t look up at Tatsumi. His eyes remained on the ground. He felt like his monologue already ruined everything.   
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
The two of them made their way to the library. It was a short trip, as it was only a few blocks away. They spent their time together browsing long aisles with hundreds of books, and discussing their favorite authors. Because it was a library and they were expected to be quiet, the awkward luls in their conversations weren’t _too_ jarring. Mayoi was starting to feel better being out of the cold. Being somewhere he could focus on something else other than Tatsumi relieved some of his anxiety. It was pleasant just being in silence with him.

Mayoi couldn’t think of anyone else he could share a quiet moment with, without it feeling too awkward. Most of the time with his other unit mates or anyone else he knew; he felt like he’d need to try to hold a conversation the whole time they were together. _Which most of the time only leads to him feeling flustered, saying something impulsive, then making the other person uncomfortable and then him feeling guilty for even being born!_ With Tatsumi it was different though. He didn’t mind when their conversation slowed down or came to a halt completely. Sometimes it just felt like words didn’t even need to be spoken for them to understand each other. 

The two of them eventually found themselves in the sparsely populated children's section of the library. Mayoi loved all manner of cute childish things and seeing small plushies of mascot characters strewn about the colorful sitting pillows and cartoonish landscapes painted on the wall made him feel at ease. 

“Mayoi-san look at this!” Tatsumi pulled out a picture book from one of the short shelves and held it up proudly for Mayoi to see. The cover had a crude but adorable drawing of a panda on it. He recognized it immediately as a book from his childhood!

“Ooh! I know that book!”   
Tatsumi blushed slightly seeing Mayois' face light up again in the same manner as when he was talking about the weather earlier. _Ahh he is so adorable…_  
“You like pandas right? I saw it and thought of you.” Tatsumi held the book down so the two could look at it together.  
“Fufu I do~ I used to have this book actually! It was one of my favorites…” Mayoi trailed off and became more focused on delightfully flipping through various pages. It gave him a wonderful feeling of nostalgia; being buried under his covers with a flashlight in his hand, thoughtfully admiring the story and escaping into a world wholly unlike his own. This feeling didn’t last long though as reliving his childhood filled Mayoi with dread. His excited demeanor slowly faded away and suddenly the child-like environment felt suffocating. He slowly closed the book but his eyes remained plastered down and his brows furrowed.

“Mayoi-san?” Seeing Mayoi go from absolute delight to sudden dread scared Tatsumi to no end. He made sure not to show it though, keeping a bright smile on his face.

Mayoi shook his head to escape his daze.  
“Ah I'm, I'm sorry… could we go somewhere else?”  
“Of course Mayoi-san.” 

The two of them found a quiet corner in the library, a sort of oasis away from the many students and parents that populated the library at this time. They sat next to each other against the wall. Mayoi made a conscious effort to make plenty of space between him and Tatsumi, placing his bag in between them, but Tatsumi either ignored or didn’t hear the small whine Mayoi made when he scooted as close as he could to his friend without disturbing the bag between them. 

They stayed silent for a moment, allowing Mayoi to calm down. He pulled his knees up to his face and rested the side of his head on them as a pillow. He closed his eyes to try to drift out of his current reality. Tatsumi found himself somewhat captivated by Mayoi in this moment. His long hair was fanned out over his face and knees, and his braid was slightly messier than usual from the long day. He really was so beautiful... Tatsumi wanted to say it outloud, but decided against it for fear of making Mayoi more upset. 

Mayoi didn’t know what was wrong with him! _Why does he always have to be such a self-deprecating fool and ruin every bit of happiness he had? Why would Tatsumi even want to hang out with him? He was going to leave this ‘experiment’ resentful and annoyed with Mayoi… he would never talk to Mayoi again and ALKALOID would be ruined!_ Mayoi wanted to crawl into a whole in the ground and waste away and die. 

Mayoi slowly opened his eyes to see Tatsumi looking directly at him! Both of them went red. Tatsumi averted his gaze and Mayoi buried his head into his knees. 

“I-I don’t even know why you’d want to hang out with a stupid specimine like me…” Mayois' voice was muffled and he shook his head in his knees. He felt like he could start crying.

Tatsumi wasn’t sure what to do… How many times could he repeat ‘I want to be with you’ until it lost all meaning? Unsure of what to say, Tatsumi rested his arm onto Mayois' back to try and comfort him. Mayoi tensed up and tried to slither out of Tatsumi's grasp. Tatsumi immediately pulled his hand off, _he went too far …_

The silence between them was deafening. Tatsumi wanted so badly to reach out and hold Mayoi and tell him everythings ok, but he wouldn't dare try it again. At least not here, not now. 

“Remember when we’d all eat together in the cafeteria?” Tatsumi wanted to get Mayois mind somewhere else.

Mayoi turned his head so he could look at Tatsumi. His brows pitifully furrowed.

“And remember when Aira-san squirted ketchup all over Hiiro-san?” Tatsumi chuckled to himself a little.

Mayoi smiled slightly, remembering how ridiculous his unit could be sometimes. It made Tatsumi's heart melt.

“Ah, I miss eating with everyone.” Tatsumi looked up to remember the precious time he spent with his unit. “It feels quite lonely now- eating lunch alone at school.”

“I-I miss it too. I miss waking up with all of you... Hiiro-san and Aira-san always had so much energy in the morning fufu." 

“I really miss all of you. With me going to Reimei it feels like I've drifted apart from the rest of ALKALOID.” Tatsumi looked at Mayoi with a melancholy but sincere smile. “I really do like being around Mayoi-san.”

Tatsumi felt a wave of relief seeing Mayois cheeks go a cute shade of pink and his mouth creep into a sheepish smile. “I-I like being around Tatsumi-san too.” 

The two of them stayed in their little corner seemingly isolated from the rest of the world, catching up on various events and news with friends. Mayoi gradually felt more and more comfortable being in Tatsumi's calming presence. It made him feel at ease. 

Eventually all good things come to an end though. The sky was dark and the library was gradually emptying out. The two of them were so caught up in each other they hadn’t even realized it was already 8 o’clock! The rain had stopped and left behind a damp cityscape. Drops of dew reflected the gleaming light of street lamps and windows of office buildings still occupied by janitors and busy salary workers. Together they made their way to the station and said their goodnights on the platform before Mayoi hesitantly stepped onto his carriage and waved goodbye. 

Mayoi felt a wave of exhaustion hit him when he took his seat on the subway. Today was a long day but he was happy he was grateful for the time he spent with Tatsumi. He seemingly wouldn’t leave Mayois mind all night! Mayoi felt his phone buzz in his pocket;

Tatsumi: Thank you for spending time with me today Mayoi-san! I had a lot of fun. Do you want to hang out again next Friday?

Mayoi felt his face warm up reading that. Feeling more confident than the first time Tatsumi asked him to hang out, he was able to respond with an affirming; ‘yes’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!! :o)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go to the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I thought snsjskskjsjkslks I didn't really know what to do for this one so uhhh cold beach at night and a drug store.

The sky was painted with slowly fading varieties of reds, oranges, and deep dark blues. It was unusually warm for spring time, and the air carried a thin veil of humidity from the previous weeks of rain. Mayoi was waiting outside a small convenience store. The gleaming, nearly blinding lights from inside the structure illuminating his silhouette in the dark. 

Him and Tatsumi began to make these Friday meetups a sort of weekly event. They were always the highlight of Mayois week. Despite his hesitation and general nervousness around Tatsumi in the beginning, Mayoi found himself counting down the days until their fateful meetups. The week always went by too slow, and their hangouts always went by too fast. It frustrated Mayoi a little bit; they were usually busy with clubs or idol work leaving them only having one day available to spend some time alone with each other. 

Mayoi periodically looked through the window behind him to make sure Tatsumi hadn't left him. He offered to be the one to make the trip inside because of Mayois general uneasiness in those types of places, although his anxieties still managed to catch up with him; Mayoi was beginning to tense up after what felt like him waiting 20 minutes for Tatsumi to return (although it was actually around 7). He turned around a final time to see Tatsumi finally leaving the convenience store holding a paper bag.

“Alright, here you go~” Tatsumi reached into the bag to hand Mayoi what he asked for, a milk tea and a small pastry, and of course; Tatsumi had his own.   
“Y-you didn’t have to...”   
“Nonsense, you didn’t eat dinner yet right?”  
Mayoi took a sip from his can, _milk tea was his favorite!_ It felt kind of nice to have someone care and keep track of Mayois well-being enough to buy him food when he didn’t eat. 

“Ah! I should pay you back!”   
“Don’t worry about it.”  
“B-but-!” Mayoi protested, but Tatsumi held up his hands in defense.  
“Really I mean it! You can get me back another time, Mayoi-san.” Tatsumi's smile was always so calm and bright. _Ahh he truly is a saint…!_ Mayoi felt unworthy of his kindness. 

They left the convenience store parking lot to try and find a place to sit and eat their food, although finding somewhere bright enough and away from the weekend crowds at seven o'clock at night was a challenge. 

It was a rarity that they’d have practice on a Friday, but due to Aira having a basketball game tomorrow meant they had to schedule it the same day Mayoi and Tatsumi would get together. Still wanting to hang out with Mayoi alone, Tatsumi suggested they go somewhere afterwards. It’s not like they had practice tomorrow anymore, so staying up late wasn’t a big deal.

They made their way through the winding streets, talking and laughing amongst each other. They made sure to stay clear of the busy parts of town-it was a Friday after all, and large crowds stressed the both of them out, but especially Mayoi.

“Oh I know somewhere we could go.” Tatsumi sounded determined, and it made Mayois heart race a bit in anticipation.   
“ooo where?”  
“Fufu you’ll see…” Tatsumi looked at Mayoi with a playful smirk and it made him just a bit nervous...  
.  
.  
.  
.  
"Wa~!" After a short walk, Mayoi was greeted with the ocean glimmering so brilliantly in the now moon light, and a refreshing sea breeze scent to match. A bench sat just off the shore, illuminated under the dreamy orange glow of a street lamp. The two of them made their way over, took a seat in the warm luminescence, and pulled out their sweets.

“I don’t remember the last time I've been to the beach.” Mayoi said, taking a bite of his pastry.  
“My family used to come here quite frequently in the summertime. After mass we’d come as a group consisting of other families in the church.” Tatsumi reminisced. 

It felt really nice to just sit down and feel the ocean breeze against their exhausted bodies. They could feel the crisp sea air seep it’s way into every pore and relieve the physical tension left from practice. It really felt like they were in their own little world right now. They were the only souls present at the beach and the seemingly never ending shoreline and blue abyss in front of them showed no signs of other human life. The occasional remnants of a plastic water bottle or lost sock served only as a sort of shadow of a person now long gone, presumably gone to their own home or perhaps spending time with acquaintances at one of the many packed bars down the road.

“Fufu. If I was with you, I would have just stayed in the sand building castles by myself,” It was nearly impossible for Mayoi to talk about himself without being self-deprecating.”--And the other kids would all just point and laugh and call me a freak. _’Why isn’t he swimming like a normal person?’_ They would say.”  
“And I’d sit right next to you and assist you in your castle building, and scare off everyone who said that about you.”  
Mayoi was some-what shocked by Tatsumi's sudden suggestion to engage in _somewhat_ violent behavior. His usual gentle, calm and rational mannerisms absent in that moment. It served as a reminder of Tatsumi's past-- what he _had_ done at Reimei and what he had been willing to do. Mayoi remembered he was the only one Tatsumi had told him about that. It made Mayoi feel important, like Tatsumi trusted him and _only_ him. He knew that wasn’t true though, Hiiro and Aira were equally important to Tatsumi from Mayoi’s perspective, although some horrible, selfish, jealous feeling deep down within Mayoi wanted him to be the only one Tatsumi trusted so bad. He quickly pushed it away and buried it back into his subconscious though.

As If to confirm Tatsumi's trust, Mayoi asked; “Why would you even concern yourself with such a lowly creature like me?”

“Because you're amazing.”  
He said it without hesitation, like he had been anxious to get it out their whole time together. Mayoi wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He could keep prying and picking away at Tatsumi little by little, trying to get to the core of just exactly what made Tatsumi say things like this to him, but he knew he would never get anywhere and he would only be left with more answers. This scared Mayoi a little--not knowing what Tatsumi liked about him meant he might do something he doesn’t like or is even appalled by, and then Tatsumi would surely hate him. He was always strange in that sense. Tatsumi was by no means gregarious, but Mayoi always isolated and guarded himself. He wasn’t a very inviting figure, but for some reason Tatsumi still wanted to be around such a boring, annoying, frustrating person.

After failing to receive a response from Mayoi, Tatsumi felt the need to continue. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”  
“I-I’ve never met anyone like _you!_ ” Mayoi finally spoke up. “I-Mean, you actually want to be around me! Or at least you seem like it..?”  
“Fufu~ Does it bother you? Would you rather I deny my feelings?”  
“N-no! Never! I mean I… I really like being with you so um…” Mayoi trailed off, his fingers now threading their way through his loose braid and his eyes glued to the ground.  
Tatsumi just smiled constantly.

After there was a lul in the conversation, Tatsumi just decided to change subjects; "We should come back here in the summer when it's warm enough to swim."

"N-no thank you! I will just watch you all from the beach."  
"You don't like swimming, Mayoi-san?"  
"No not really." Mayoi contorted his mouth into an uncomfortable frown. "I think I'd feel more comfortable if it was just you and the rest of ALKALOID, but being practically naked at a public beach with hundreds of people in the hot sun is not very appealing to me!!"  
"Ahaha I get that."   
Mayoi smiled sheepishly. "It's really pleasant right now though... If the water was warm I'd be happy to swim at night~" 

The two of them eventually finished their drinks and pastries and talked for a while longer. Talking to Tatsumi really made Mayoi feel at ease, and having their hangouts at the end of the week always meant they had more to share and talk about! Mayoi gradually became more and more comfortable opening up to Tatsumi and his previous self deprecating monologues and apologies became a little less frequent overtime. 

"Should we check if the water's warm?"  
"Hm?"  
Without warning Tatsumi got up from the bench and made his way over to the shore. Mayoi watched from the bench as Tatsumi took off his sandals and walked into the sleepy waves. 

Mayoi giggled as Tatsumi leaped out of the water.   
"It's freezing!!" He shouted.   
"Ahaha!"   
Mayoi slid off the bench and hastily made his way over to his friend. He took off his own shoes and tentatively dipped his own feet in. "Fufu it's not _that_ bad!" As if to prove his point, Mayoi hiked up his capris and began to walk further into the midnight blue waves until the crests of the waves splashed just past his ankles. The cold water was very soothing. He turned around to see Tatsumi hesitantly making his way over to join him.  
"Ahaha is it too cold?"   
"Horribly. I'm impressed you can handle it!" Tatsumi chuckled.

Mayoi stood around, wading in the water just a bit longer. He watched as the waves crashed onto his skin, the edges leaving behind white foam and occasionally a strand of dark seaweed. It was not a feeling he was used to, but it was one he could get used to-- it was almost therapeutic for him. He’d be happy to come back here with Tatsumi and the rest of ALKALOID… just maybe not during the day.

From the shore Tatsumi watched Mayoi genteley wade around and part the water with his presence. His figure was illuminated under the moonlight and his loose hairs wisped in the breeze, making him appear like some other worldly siren tempting Tatsumi to the depths. 

Eventually Mayoi made his way back to Tatsumi on the shore.  
"Do you want to walk around?" Tatsumi asked.  
"Ah sure..."

The two of them carried their shoes with them as they allowed their toes to sink into the sand beneath them. The sound of the waves was nearly hypnotizing but so very calming. They kept going forward, talking about seemingly nothing important and just taking in the scenery around them. This moment was precious to the both of them and they wouldn’t mind if it'd last forever.

Despite how close the two of them had become, Tatsumi still wanted to be closer to Mayoi. He still wasn't sure what that even meant. _Why wasn't he satisfied with just this?_ The both of them were happy and content in this moment, so why did Tatsumi still feel like it wasn't enough? 

Tatsumi's hand had been consciously knocking against Mayois occasionally during their stroll, seemingly to sort of test how he’d react. Tatsumi wanted to reach out and hold it; so he did. He gently took Mayois' free hand and tentatively wrapped his fingers around it. There was a moment of silence between the two of them and despite Mayoi looking at the ground, and despite the only source of light being the moon, Tatsumi could see Mayoi go red from ear to ear-to-ear. 

Their pace slowed down slightly and the silence seemed to go on for just a bit _too_ long before Mayoi finally squeezed Tatsumi's hand in return, making his own face go red in return. Mayois hands were cold and clammy, but it didn't take long for Tatsumi to warm them up. They continued their stroll. Sleepy tides washed lazily onto the shore beside them with a satisfying 'wshh'! as they made their way up the shoreline in a comfortable silence, their fingers twined together.

Eventually Mayoi pulled his hand away from Tatsumi's, a sudden chill now taking the place where Mayois' warmth had just been. He spoke up in a wavering voice; "Um i-it's getting late, we should probably head back now…"  
"Of course~" Tatsumi tried to sound as positive as possible, but he had to admit he was a little disappointed it was ending so soon...

Because they were both staying at the starmony dorm, they walked back together. Tatsumi was grateful to be able to spend just a bit more time with Mayoi but he also felt like his hand-holding made things a bit too awkward. _Had he gone too far again?_ He didn't regret it though... It felt like progress at least. He thought about what it would be like to hold Mayois' hand more, and he was almost tempted to try again on the walk back to the dorms. He wished he could hold it as often as Aira held Hiiro's hand… he was terrified of scaring Mayoi away though, that was the absolute _last_ thing he wanted! He just hoped he didn't mess anything up tonight…  
.  
.  
.  
It was nearly ten by the time they made it back to the dorms. Most people had gone to bed or were out on the town, leaving the hallways of the building dark and empty. Tatsumi stayed with Mayoi until they reached his dorm making sure he made it back safely, and because he wanted to stay with Mayoi just a bit longer.  
"Um, t-thank you…" Was all Mayoi managed to get out.   
"Yes of course, Mayoi-san! Thank you too, for hanging out with me. You’re super fun to be around."

Mayoi blushed slightly at Tatsumi's comment and he became visibly flustered. Tatsumi thought it was adorable.  
“I-I’m not.. I-” Mayoi shook his head "A-Are you sure you don't want me to pay you back for the food? I can get it from my dorm right now and-"  
Tatsumi cut him off; "Ufufu really it's fine Mayoi-san. Please don't worry about it."  
Mayoi made a small whine in disapproval.

Soon the silence overtook them again as they stood in the dark hallway together, just looking at each other, wanting so badly for the other to break the silence, until Tatsumi held out his arms inviting Mayoi into a hug. Mayois face went red as he reciprocated. It was short and chaste, but comically bad. The both of them held each other like they'd never hugged anyone before in their life! Their arms were loose and hung awkwardly, like they just wanted to get it over with. Mayoi quickly pulled away and with one final thanks and goodnight, he disappeared into his dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I found out the longest peice of English literature in existence is a smash bro fan fic with over 3,500,000 words. Amazing!!! Ideally this tatsumayo fic would also have 3,500,000 words, but there is only one chapter left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines day!!! Im still in shock I actually finished this...DUDE!! ALSO!! ALSO I READ AND FINISHED A BOOK. I READ AND FINISHED A BOOK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS. THATS INSANE!! I FEEL MY BRAIN GROWING AND MY VOCABULARY EXPANDING. AFTER I READ IT I FELT THE NEED TO ADD STUFF TO THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. IT IS BETTER NOW😎😎😎

Mayoi once again found himself waiting under a familiar gazebo, the same one from his first hang out with Tatsumi; only this time the clouds were parted and the sun was shining brightly. The spring breeze brought along the soothing scent of hyacinth beans that were creeping their way up the wooden structure Mayoi resided under. He made sure to leave school as soon as possible so he’d have time to stop at a small accessory store before his fateful meetup with Tatsumi. He still wanted to get Tatsumi back for the time he bought him food, and Mayoi also just felt like giving Tatsumi something nice. 

He felt his cheeks warm up at the thought of his friend and everything he’s done for Mayoi. Tatsumi became someone Mayoi cared very deeply about and wanted to be with as much as possible. He wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was just friendly admiration or brotherly affection or what, but he knew he loved Tatsumi very much-- in what way, he still wasn't sure... 

Mayoi was so deep in thought, he didn’t even notice the person in question sneak up behind him. Suddenly Mayoi felt a light tap on his shoulder and heard a quiet “Boo!”

“Hiii-!!!” Mayoi yelped. “T-Tatsumi-San!! Don’t sneak up on me like that!!! ” Mayoi went red and became flustered. _He was so embarrassed!_

Tatsumi giggled “Ahaha I'm sorry, I couldn’t help myself…”

Mayoi made a pitiful whine. For a second he thought about not giving Tatsumi his gift at all...

“I brought a blanket, I was thinking we could just sit around in the grass because it’s so nice out.” Tatsumi held up a cushy blanket he was carrying. It was cream colored with little vegetables and rabbits printed on it. It was super duper cute!

“T-that’s fine… let’s find somewhere in the shade though…”

They walked through the park eventually coming across a nice shady spot under an oak tree. Tatsumi carefully spread the blanket out on the grass, making sure it remained neat and without any winkles. “Alright here we go~”

Mayoi sat down hesitantly, he was afraid of getting dirt on Tatsumi's nice blanket, _But surely him just touching the blanket would dirty it!_ He took off his school bag and shoes, and placed them next to Tatsumi's--who sat down next to him.

Tatsumi let out a sign as he sprawled out on the blanket. He felt the heat on his eyelids from the patches of sun peeking through the oak leaves above them. He took a moment just to bask in it and the pleasure of just being with Mayoi.

Mayoi felt awkward with Tatsumi seemingly so comfortable next to him, and him just tensely sitting on his knees. 

“Oh! I brought something for you…!” 

“Oya?” 

Mayoi quickly dug through his bag as Tatsumi sat up curiously. 

“For you!~” Mayoi had a shy but bright smile on his face as he held out a small brown bag with a red ribbon tying the handles together in a lovely bow. Tatsumi couldn’t help but smile with delight~

“For me?”

“Um yes! I still feel like I should repay you somehow for when we got food together... A-and also I just wanted to get you something because I'm super grateful for these past few weeks and just having met you, and you being so nice and…” Mayoi trailed off, his cheeks turning pink before shaking his head "Aghh sorry um… You can open it now if you want…"

Mayoi was anxiously threading his fingers through his braid as Tatsumi took the bag from his hand, his own face heating up as well. He carefully untied the pretty ribbon, making sure not to damage it or the bag. 

He felt a huge smile make its way across his face as he saw what was inside, and he couldn’t help but giggle a bit. He pulled out a small keychain of a dog driving a car!

"Aww Mayoi-san…" Looking at it made Tatsumi feel so warm inside, Mayoi really is so sweet...

“I’m sorry it’s just a stupid keychain but I saw it and it reminded me of you…”

"Fufu its so cute~" Tatsumi pulled his bag over to proudly clip on the accessory. "I really love it, thank you so much, Mayoi-san." 

"Ahh of course! I'm so happy you like it~"

"Now we match." Tatsumi pointed to the cluster of charms and keychains latched onto Mayois own bag--a tiny panda plushie, squishy shuriken, tiny shark, and various intricate lanyards, both finished and work in progress.

Mayoi blushed; he was embarrassed from the attention being drawn to his childish collection. "Ah r-right…!" he said in a small voice, fingers returning to his braid.

Tatsumi giggled at Mayoi’s flustered-ness. 

At this point Mayoi had pulled out so much hair from his braid he decided to just undo it. Carefully, he untied the black ribbon binding his hair and gently ran his fingers through it un-twine his locks.

Tatsumi found himself transfixed on Mayoi at that moment. The warm wind wisped Mayois hair up into the air exposing more of his face. He was so beautiful, he really looked like someone from a renaissance painting. Mayoi grabbed some of his long purple locks in an attempt to re-braid them but the wind prevented him from keeping a grasp on them for long.

“Can I do your hair?” 

Mayoi blushed slightly.

“Ah y-you want to do my hair?” He asked, making sure he heard Tatsumi correctly and his ears weren't deceiving him.

“Yes. Can I?~♪” Tatsumi looked up at Mayoi with subtle puppy eyes that were extremely difficult for Mayoi to say ‘no’ to.

“Um, do you know how to do any braids?"

A rare moment of embarrassment overtook Tatsumi. He was so eager to do Mayois hair he forgot he didn’t know how to do any braids! “Ah I don’t...” 

Mayoi giggled slightly. “That’s ok. Here I can try to show you, um...”

Tatsumi watched as Mayoi pulled 3 long blades of grass towards them to demonstrate. His fingers interlocking the strands so gently he never pulled them from the earth. 

“You take one strand from the left and then cross it over the middle, and then you take the right strand and cross it over the middle, and then you do it again and again and again…♪” Mayoi spoke like he was communicating to a child; Tatsumi thought it was cute though, and paid close attention. Mayois nimble fingers knew exactly what to do and where to go-- demonstrating he’s done this hundreds of times over.

“You have pretty hands.”

That caught Mayoi off-guard as he jumped a little, halting his braiding and his face turning red again. ”O-oh…”

Tatsumi also went red. Slightly embarrassed he said something impulsive...

Soon though, Mayoi ran out of grass to twine. 

“See!” He presented his work to Tatsumi. Even if it was just grass, Tatsumi still thought it was beautiful, although maybe that’s just because _Mayoi_ made it.

“Oh thank you. I think I get it now.”

Mayoi turned around so his back would be facing Tatsumi and scooted closer to him, undoing the half-done braid in his hair in the process. Mayoi jumped slightly as Tatsumi took hold of some of his hair. The only person who’s ever done his hair before was Aira, so it was still sort of a new feeling to be touched so intimately by someone else there. He felt Tatsumi separate his hair into 3 locks and twine them so carefully he never tugged. Mayoi felt a little proud of himself; he was able to teach someone else something new!

“What type of braid am I doing?”

“Ah it’s just a basic three-strand one.”

“Do you know how to do any other braids?”

“I do! I know French, and Dutch, and Waterfall...my favorite type of braid though is a fishtail one. I would wear one everyday if I could, but they take quite a long time.” 

Tatsumi had no idea what any of those meant. But hearing Mayoi talk about it made him feel so giddy.

“Ahh I should learn how to braid…” 

“Fufu you’ll have to grow your hair out then to practice.”

“I only want to braid _Mayoi-sans_ hair though~♪”

Mayoi felt his face heat up and a sheepish grin creep across his face. 

The two stayed silent for a while just basking in the warm spring air. Tatsumi continued to braid Mayois soft hair, occasionally making a mistake and having to backtrack. Mayoi didn’t mind when that happened though. He felt so wonderful in this moment, he wanted Tatsumi to keep making mistakes so it could last forever and ever. Tatsumi and him had gotten so very close over the last month. He became someone Mayoi wanted to spend every waking moment with and dedicate all his time to. He became the thing Mayoi cared most about and was most important to him. Soon the two of them would be graduating, and they wouldn’t have to be separated by a busy student schedule anymore. But part of Mayoi was irrationally afraid that after they graduated Tatsumi would just abandon him. He would just move on and meet other people and forget about Mayoi and the rest of ALKALOID. _Oh why did these thoughts have to come at the most inconvenient times…!_

“Alright I think i’m nearly done…” Tatsumi pulled out the red ribbon from Mayois gift bag to securely tie it to the end of his hair. He hoped Mayoi wouldn’t mind it wasn’t his usual black one. 

Mayoi reached his hand over his shoulder to run his fingers over Tatsumi's work. “Does it seem ok?”

He pulled the braid over his shoulder to assess it closer. It was surprisingly very neat! _at least compared to Mayois usual unkempt braid._

"Ah the ribbon from the packaging!"

"Fufu do you like it?"

“I-I do...I-”

Mayoi had to pause. A wave of emotions suddenly overcame him. Soon they wouldn’t have these Friday rituals anymore, these were some of the only things Mayoi looked forward to though… he can’t imagine where he’d be without them...without Tatsumi… Mayoi had always been suspicious or unsure of his feelings for him, but only at this moment was he able to really confirm with himself that he truly was in love with his friend, and wanted to stay by his side forever.

“Mayoi-san?”

Mayoi really was so beautiful… The wind flowed through his hair and Tatsumi's braid exposed more of his face. Tatsumi admired everything about him; from his dizzying green eyes, to his charming mole and his adorable shark teeth. Mayoi made him feel so at ease, so warm, his heart would flutter just thinking about him. Right now he just wanted to reach out and touch him. To hold him close and never let go. Tatsumi just wanted to kiss him... 

Tatsumi leans in further to Mayoi, and tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear. Mayoi leans back slightly, partially out of fear for Tatsumi being so close to him, and partly to match Tatsumi's position. Tatsumi cups Mayois cheek in his palm, his hands felt so warm and soothing against Mayois cool skin. Tatsumi pauses before moving forward though. They were so close their noses were practically touching and Mayoi could feel the heat from Tatsumi's breath. “Is this ok?”

Mayoi was wide eyed. He needed a moment to process everything that was happening. Tatsumi was so close he could probably hear Mayois rapid heartbeat. _Tatsumi wanted to kiss him!_ He wanted this too though, he’s wanted this for _so long!_ He looked deeply into Tatsumi's amethyst eyes, suddenly all of the time the two had spent together was recontextualized into something more, Tatsumi felt the same way... Mayoi nodded hesitantly and let out a breathy, “yes...”

Tatsumi leans in closer, their knees knocking together, and closes the gap between them-- carefully, so as to not scare Mayoi. Tatsumi feels Mayoi warm up and lean in closer--although his posture remained stiff. Tatsumi took his time though, waiting until it felt like he belonged there, and soon Mayoi loosened up and opened his heart. His previously squeezed shut eyes relaxed and the pit of anxiety in his stomach dissolved into a fluttering feeling in his heart. 

They could feel a breeze flow between them, only prompting Tatsumi to want to get closer. He pulls away from the kiss to pull Mayoi into a warm embrace, and buries his head into Mayois shoulder. Mayoi was still trying to process all the emotions he was feeling. Eventually he returned the hug, and tightly twined his arms around Tatsumi's soft frame. The two stayed like that for a moment just holding each other, nearly melting in eachothers arms. Their bodies pressed together seemed to form a sort of impenetrable wall- one which protected them from not only the forces of nature but also kept negative feelings and anxieties at bay; unable to reach them in this moment. Tatsumi hadn’t realized how touch-starved he was. He was holding onto his unit-mate so tight, as if this was just a dream and Mayoi would dissipate if he let him go.

“Tatsumi-saaan…” Mayois breathy voice was slightly muffled by Tatsumi's shoulder. He felt his whole body burning up.

Tatsumi slowly pulled his head up, his arms still wrapped toughtfully around Mayoi and he did the same. Their legs were tangled together and the two of them were both completely red from ear-to-ear. They took a moment to gaze deeply into each other's eyes, purple reflecting into green with sheepish smiles on their faces. They stayed like that until Tatsumi leaned in to kiss mayoi again… _and again!_ This time they were just chaste little pecks, but he didn’t want to leave room for Mayoi to have any doubts about the way Tatsumi felt about him. 

Mayoi felt so giddy at the affection and giggled slightly. He's never felt happiness like this before. All his anxieties and worries seemed to vanish into thin air. 

Mayoi's ditzy-ness was contagious and made Tatsumi giggle along with him, pressing his forehead against Mayois. _He is so adorable…_ Tatsumi wanted this moment to never end. He wanted to stay with Mayoi forever...

After a moment of just cuddling each other, Tatsumi pulled away to stare directly into Mayois eyes. Tatsumi's voice just above a whisper, he said; “I love you.” It was so freeing to say it, to finally say what he’s truly been feeling deep down for who knows how long now.

Mayois face somehow got even redder and he nuzzled his head back into Tatsumi's shoulder. Mayoi felt like this was where he belonged, like he was meant to hold Tatsumi in his arms, and he was meant to be held in his. He was so happy, he really felt like he was going to start crying. 

"Mayoi-san, do you want to go on a date next Friday?"

After a moment of silence Mayoi tilted his head up so he was able to look straight into Tatsumi's eyes. His smile was so gentle it made Tatsumi's heart flutter in anticipation for his response. Mayoi responded in a soft, breathy voice, "Yes, I would like that..." 

Mayoi gently guided Tatsumi into his chest and his head returned to Tatsumi's shoulder again. He could hear Mayois heartbeat in sync with his own, and it made him feel so relaxed, like he could fall asleep in Mayois arms right then and there. 

Mayoi was threading a hand through Tatsumi's hair when he gently pressed his lips down on his green locks to return his kisses. "I like you so much…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then they move out and get an apartment together and get married and live happily ever after. Hooray!!! Thank you for reading my fic!! This is truly my magnum opus. My work here is done, I'm never writing anything ever again. It is up to you guys to continue the tatsumayo legacy and create a vast library of tatsumayo to rival all other ships ever.

**Author's Note:**

> thx 4 reading!!! Pls stayed tuned as there's more to come :)


End file.
